Trip Details
Dates
Saturday 16th August to Sunday 18th August 2025
Participants
Gemma Clayton, Daniel Fraser, Emma Gray, Beth Leslie, Will Leslie, Kynan Gray, Allison Paton, Caleb Pinto, Nelson Pinto, Mailee Stanbury, Emerson Wiel, Faith Wiel, Rochelle Wiel, Tim Wiel,
Links
Trip Map
Trip Report
This trip took a tramp up to the private SLNZDA Hut in the Upper Caples Valley. This was a change from our regular Routeburn Winter Trip just to mix it up a bit. The Upper Caples Hut is an easy valley trek up from the Greenstone carpark and has amazing views of Mount Bonpland and Jean Batten Peak although the weather meant we only got glimpses sometimes through the cloud and rain.
After driving to the Greenstone Carpark we started on the easy trek up the relatively flat 16km track up beside the Caples River valley towards the Upper Caples Hut. After the initial climb through the lower Greenstone gorge we travelled along a fairly flat (“kiwi flat”) trail tramping alternating between open farmland flats and beech forest along the river valley.
We stayed in the Upper Caples Hut for the Friday night.
On Saturday with the weather threatening to come in rough for Saturday night and Sunday morning we retreated back down to the DoC Mid Caples Hut for the second night.
The rain followed us down the valley but thankfully didn’t get us too wet. It made for a moody afternoon looking up the valley at the head of the valley and the dark clouds. We took an opportunity in a break in the weather to trek down to the old homestead on the true right of the lower Caples for a look. Two hunters also staying in the hut that night offered us copious amounts of wild venison.
A short church service was had before we headed back out on Sunday morning.
